While there were smaller victories for Republicans across the nation, the overall picture after Tuesday’s elections was not good for the GOP. The right unquestionably had a tough evening as results poured in from Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia.

In the Bluegrass State, which leans heavily red, incumbent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear prevailed in his reelection bid. Ohio voters approved a hotly contested abortion initiative and the Virginia House of Delegates flipped to Democratic control.

Beshear posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the state’s electorate rejected “anger politics.” 

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Ohio voters approved a controversial constitutional amendment stating that citizens have “the right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.”

It further permits abortion if a doctor determines ending the unborn child’s life is necessary for the life or health of the mother. The amendment does allow for the procedure to be banned upon fetal viability.

And Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin faces an uphill battle to continue his conservative agenda after voters put the House in Democratic hands.

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Without the woefully unpopular Joe Biden on the 2023 ballot, the decisive issue appeared to be abortion. Many election observers believe this hot-button platform drew younger voters to the polls who otherwise are notoriously fickle about voting.

This demographic weighs heavily toward Democrats. 

The aftermath of the disappointing night led some of former President Donald Trump’s rivals to blame him. Despite his overwhelming lead for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, some saw fit to point fingers at the frontrunner.

Clearly targeting Trump, Ron DeSantis’ campaign manager lamented on social media the lack of GOP victories. “Last night was a sweeping loss for Republicans. It was eerily similar to last November, when the anticipated ‘red wave’ never came.”

DeSantis, of course, is far behind Trump among Republican voters. Battling the Florida governor for second place is former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

Her campaign issued a memo Wednesday with the incendiary claim that “Trump is a loser.”

Never mind that the former President won a resounding victory in 2016 and reversed years of decline from the Obama administration. Not to mention that he is single-handedly withstanding the weight of Biden’s weaponized federal government to defend conservative ideals.

Whatever the issue is, it’s not Trump. And attempts to gain traction in the GOP primaries by disparaging the former president will go down in resounding defeat.